Jonas Gundersen steps down as NIP COO

The former Danish player is leaving the company after four years.

Ninjas in Pyjamas Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jonas Gundersen has left the Swedish organization, he announced Monday. A replacement has yet to be named.

A former Counter-Strike player during the early 2000s, Gundersen joined Ninjas in Pyjamas in January 2020 after a year with North in the same role. He had recently become less involved in the company’s esports operations following the appointment of Erik Wendel as Director of Esports and the return of Björn "⁠THREAT⁠" Pers to the organization as General Manager.

“The time feels right for me to hand over the controls and head for the next chapter in my career,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post, highlighting NIP’s growth from a small operation to a global organization with over 300 employees, 16 teams and five offices. Last year, NIP completed a merger with Chinese giants ESV5, entering the LPL, China’s franchise competition in League of Legends.

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Jonas Gundersen: the former CS player who wants to build a new era for NiP

During Gundersen’s time at the helm of the company’s esports operations, NIP completed the blockbuster signing of Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz, a move that he believed would take the organization to a new era. But the Danish AWPer ended up being shipped back to Astralis less than halfway into a three-year deal and after spending almost ten months on the bench.

In January 2023, Gundersen declared his belief that Ninjas in Pyjamas had the necessary tools to contend for Majors following the signing of Daniil "⁠headtr1ck⁠" Valitov from NAVI. Twelve months on, only two of those players remain on the team, which is currently ranked 24th in the world.

Gundersen did not disclose what his next venture entails, merely stating that it will involve "driving impact and creating value across a variety of entities.”

“I am genuinely excited about all the positive and ambitious vibes out there, and I feel more than ever, that the future of esports looks incredibly bright,” he added. “More on that soon.”